The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-01-01
A HANDY JUSTICE"
The First OG1cial Act OF Tommy
Cassel.

When Steele's Landing consisted of
a natural river-bank wharf and Steele
old red store, and when the entire coun-
ty did not contain 200 settlers, old
Tommy Cassel selected the place as his
home. Every body for miles around
knew old Tommy because he came at
the same time Bildad Bennett and his
little red mill located there and because
at the time of the New Years Day in
cident about to be recorded both Tom
my Bildad had grown white headed and
comfortable. Steele's Landing had
also grown. Steele'S red store had
given place to larger building of brick,
and Bildad's little mill had received adj
ditions until now it was long, ram
bling combination of grist-mill, saw
mill, woolen-mll, and planning
The old oncc-a-day sidewheel steamboat
pulled and padded fussily up and down
the river about the same, but instead of
carrying all the passengers and mer-
chandse which came into that part of
the country, as of old, it had degener-
ated into q weather-wOrn, rickety, old
COntraption for the carrying of cord
wood, baled hay, shingles and the like.
Now the chief means of intercourse be-
tween Steele's Landing and the outside
world was the stage and teaming route
controlled and operated between the
nearest railway station-Adamsburg-
md the Landing, distance of four
Niles, by q stalwart, handsome young
man named Lutte Briggs. The gossips
1t the Landing, while they liked Lutte,
did not hesitate to whisper that he had
once been an eight-horse team driver in
somebody's circus and some even went
so far as to say that his span of white
mares, ely and Kate" were ex-circu,
horses.
Every body at the Landing confessed
that it was shame that the railroad haC
been permitted to skip the town-tha
is. every body but old Tommy Cassel
Bildad Bennett and Lutte Briggs
Tommy thought it was good thing thu
railroad wentto Adamsburg, :" cause i
preserved the in-tract the keounty ant
Xidn' Spite farms and SIGH. BildaC
Ehked the slight because them railroad
= survcyors allus expect us rich men t.
give 'em right O. way fer nuthin' an,
then want us to take four or five hun
bred dollars with Of stock, witch w
can't sell or do nuthin' with nowhow
Lutes applause of the railway rout
which left the Landing four miles st
one side was based chiefly on his own
ership and manipulation of the stag
route. which included contract t
carry the mails.
The chief reason why Tommy, Bilda
and Lutte were important factors in tn
religious, social and political throb
about the Landing was because the
delegated that privilege to themselves
but the other reasons were their pos
tons in commercial sense. Bilda
owned the combination mill aud tn
finest residence in the village, he ha
been twice member of the grand Jury
and he was also father of the hanC
soonest girl-Jerusha Bennett-in tn
country. Tommy was not only a shoe
maker, but he could do a good turn {
harness making, and he always beI
the bass drum-both ends-at all Sur
day-school picnics and Fourth of Jul
celebrations. Lutte, by virtue of h
mail carrying, was a Government Oft
cial. He had an opportunity to see raj
way cars and their loads of passenge,
daily, and finally his experience wit
the circus had made of him a ma
well up in worldly matters. Bilda
was grasping, penurious and uns
cial on the surface, but once in Will
and more frequently than any one kneN
he would send a load of wood, a sack
flour, a side of pork, or something
the kind to some needy and wOrtl
resident of the place, and for a wet
thereafter he would 60 around with
r guilty look, as though afraid someboC
had found it out. He was jealo
ALWAYS, but that quality was on
shown in relation to the doings al
welfare of his daughter "Rushy
Tommy CaSsel was the best authori
on law points in the village-in fact,
the time of which l am writing he b.
certificate of his election to the pc
tion OF iuStice of the peace slowed aw